How to plan a surprise garage makeover

Surprising someone with the gift of a garage makeover is really presenting someone with the gift of less stress. They gain the convenience of more usable and organized space, plus the ability to park the car inside the garage.

Years ago, there was a home makeover show on TLC called, While You Were Out. Remember it? It was in the same era as Trading Spaces in the mid-2000s. The concept was simple. The spouse leaves the house for a day and when they come back their wife – or husband – completely made over one room literally while they were out. The show didn’t last long. However, the generous idea of surprising the person you love most with a room makeover endures.

“I’ll admit, I still secretly hope my wife will surprise me with a room makeover whenever I get home from a business trip,” says Garage Sense co-owner Rich.

Since garages are stereotypically considered man-spaces, we field several calls every year from wives looking to surprise their husbands. (Ideas for guys: We feel confident that wives would also enjoy a surprise garage makeover too.) We enjoy conspiring with spouses who want to surprise their better half with a garage makeover. Valentine’s Day, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day are all good opportunities to give the gift of an organized garage.

Here are a few tips for planning a successful surprise garage makeover.

Target a date early

Look way ahead at your calendar to see when your spouse will be out of the house for an extended period of time. Business trips or weekend getaways are great times for us to do the work. Installations and organization can take up to a full business day to complete, so we recommend scheduling on a day when your spouse will be out of the house for a least 8 hours. This will ensure that you surprise him or her and that they don’t surprise you.

Give yourself plenty of time to plan the surprise

From the first call to the final reveal, give yourself at least one month. In that time, we will meet with you to discuss your garage goals and measure your garage. Shortly afterward, we will send you potential design solutions and an estimate for the proposed work. Depending on your final design, time is needed for cabinets and shelves to be ordered and delivered.

Envision what you want to achieve

Consider the things that are in your garage and check out our gallery for inspiration. Think about what needs to be stored and what can be discarded or donated. We recommend going through the keep, discard, or donate process before the garage installation begins so that you aren’t storing anything unnecessarily.

Capture the moment

As the installers, we will be finished before your spouse arrives home to see your great gift. You can take all the credit, but we’d love to see and hear about their reaction. Please plan to take pictures or video and share it with us or tag us in any pictures you post. (We are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and we welcome you to follow us.)

The idea of wanting to surprise your favorite person with a non-traditional gift of organization is a worthwhile one. Since garages are large spaces that get cluttered easily, your effort to establish a storage plan rewards your loved one with a nice space and it relieves the stress. Messy spaces are stressful spaces. So your gift truly creates a welcoming and presentable entry point into your home.

Besides, what says I love you more than cleaning out the dirtiest room in your house?

Request a free estimate or give us a call at 610-996-3365. We’d be happy to help you create a surprise garage makeover.